The Prevalence Of Ocular Involvement In Primary Sjögren’S Syndrome Patients Referred From The Rheumatology Department

To evaluate the prevalance of ocular surface involvement in the patients who referred from rheumatology for the
diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

 Retrospecitve chart review

Medical records of 211 patients who referred from the rheumatology department for the initial evaluation of
Sjögren's syndrome were analyzed. Past medical history, Schirmer test results, ocular surface staining (OSS) scores,
tear BUT, tear osmolarity, tear MMP-9 levels, OSDI questionnaires, tear lipid layer thickness, degree and quality of
meibomian gland secretion, and degree of meibomian gland obstruction were evaluated. Anti-SSA, Anti-SSB, and RF,
CRP, ESR, and FANA were also assessed. Furthermore, patients were categorized into those meeting only one of the
ocular criteria and those meeting all criteria according to the 2016 ACR-EULAR guidelines, to analyze differences in dry
eye indicators between the groups.

Out of a total of 118 patients diagnosed with primary Sjögren's syndrome, 87 (74%) met the ocular criteria of
Sjögren's syndrome. Among them, 46 (53%) met both criteria. The degree of ocular involvement was categorized into
three age groups (0-29 years, 30-59 years, 60 years and older), but no significant differences were observed. The grade
of quality of meibum secretion was higher in cases with ocular involvement compared to those without ocular involvement
(p=0.016). Significant correlations were observed between OSS scores and tear BUT, as well as CRP (p<0.01, p=0.01).
There were no statistically significant differences observed in dry eye indicators between cases satisfying both ocular
criteria and those satisfying only one.

Among patients undergoing diagnostic tests for primary Sjögren's syndrome, approximately 74% exhibited
ocular involvement, with half of these cases meeting both criteria for ocular involvement.